[txs]

The fear is that we will be impacted. E.g. Whatsapp is required to meaningfully engage with many social activities and communities in Europe. If Whatsapp decides to switch entirely to an alternative app store, I have no choice but to follow. And as a result, I'm no longer protected by the Apple app store's security measures (feeble as they may be.)

[Rinzler89]

Android allows sideloading since forever and nothing like that ever happened there. There's no Whatsapp app store. Actually very very few Android users (mostly techies and enthusiasts) use any alternative app store. The vast majority only use the Google Play Store.

So why would you automatically assume the sky will be falling on iOS the moment that happens wen there's no proof to draw such conclusions? Why not wait and see what happens before panicking just because of apple's scaremongering tactics to protect their cash cow?

[overstay8930]

> Android allows sideloading since forever and nothing like that ever happened there.

That's because developers don't care about android. There's not enough money to push an alternative App Store for the amount of work it takes.

Now that apple was forced to do it, now consumers are pretty much screwed if they want to use an app and care about privacy.

Just like when Apple opened up payments, it was never about "consumer freedom", it was "corporate freedom" to make it as hard as possible to cancel your subscription" and "corporate freedom" to profile your subscriptions to sell you more.

Just like how opening up wallet will just end in making banks richer and the user experience worse. Do you people actually think these poor multinational banks needed the government to help them because they couldn't compete? Man you are gullible.